Rotary engine.



inventedcertain new and useful Improve-- UNITED ,STATES 4PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK G. GROVE, OF LURAY, VIRGINIA.

kROTA RY EN GIN E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 705,835, dated .my 29, l190e.

@pumas sied Muth 14,1902.

` T0 atZZ` whom it' m/afy concern:

Beit knownithat I, FRANK G. GROVE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Luray, in the county of Page, State of Virginia, have ments in Rotary Engines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Thisinvention relates to a rotary engine,

and particularly to an engine of that character having an eccentric piston and cam portions for actuating said piston in one direction.

The invention has for an object to provide an improved construction of rotary engine in which the cam portions at opposite sides of the abutment are removably mounted within the casing and adapted to convey the steamfeed to the piston after the same hasbeen fully projected. l

Further objects of the invention are to provide an improved form of piston or gate and l cam for use in an engine of this character.

Other advantages and objects will be hereinafter set forth, and the novel features of the invention specifically deiined by the appended claims.

In thedrawings, Figure l is avertical longitndinal section through the engine. Fig. 2 is a vertical section at a right angle to Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a detail' of one of the pistons with the parts separated. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective of one of the cams.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in the several iigures of the drawings.

The letter A' designates a casing, which may be of any desired construction to form an interiorcylinder A' anclis provided with opposite heads A2, secured together by tiebolts A3 and provided with bearing-sleeves A4 for the driving-shaft A5, which carries at one end a pulley A6. The sleeves A4 are provided with bearing-collars A7, of suitable metal, and with oil-cups A8, as usual. One of the heads A2 is provided with a dischargepassage A9 and cock All for withdrawing any water of condensation which may collect at the bottom ot the casing. Within the cyliuder A a cylindrical piston-holder B is secured slidably mounted in recesses or transverse slots B of the holder. The opposite side to the shaft A5 and provided with pistons C,

Serial No.' 98,207. (No model.)

The piston C, of which one ormore Inay be Y used, is composed of opposite members similar in construction and adapted to be placed together face to face, so that the tongue C upon one section will enter the recess C2 uponV the opposite section and permit a longitudin al sliding of the sections upon each other without any liabilityto a lateral movement relatively to each other. Each section is provided with a recess C3, in which a projecting spring C4 is located, which spring is of a greater diameter than the depth of either recess and extends partially into both, so as to normally hold outer ends of the sections in a projected position away from each other and permit a compression of the parts under tension. It will thus be seen that this novel form of piston obviates the necessity of using any end packings, as the single projecting Aspring holds the opposite ends of the piston in contact with the heads of the casing, while one edge of the piston is forced outwardly frointhe holder B by means of the ordinary projectingspring O5, located at the base of the recess B, to bear on the inner end of the piston C.

ment D is disposed and normally forced downn ward into contactwith the periphery of the piston-holder B by means of a spring D. The abutment D is similar in construction to the piston C, and the two sections of the abutment are held in contact with the heads of the cylinder by means of the projecting spring De. At opposite sides ot' the abutment cam? blocks E are provided and formed with au aperture orchannel E through the saine. These are -litted wit-hin the upper portion ol the cylinder A and rest at their lower ends upon a scat All. Communicating with the aperture E. of the cam and with the cylinder A below the seat is a by-pass or channel A12. This cam is secured at its upper end by means I ne...

of a screw E, passing through the casing and by means of which the two sections of Vthe cam are held in position adjacent to the abutment D. The aperture E' permits the feed of the steam or motive power from the pipe connection F through the cam and discharges beyond the seat A, so as not to exert the full expansive pressure thereof until the piston C has become fully projected, as when this piston is in contact with the cam only a small area is presented, and the full pressure of steam thereon would interfere with the free sliding of the piston. t

This engine is adapted to be reversed in opi eration by introducing the motive power at either side of the abutment and exhausting from the opposite side. For this purpose the pipe-sections F, communicating with each of the cams, are provided with rotating stopcocks F', one of which will be closed as the other is opened and both of which communicate with an exhaust-pipe F2. The steampipe F3 is provided with a throttle-valve F4 and at its lower end with a cross-pipe F5, having stop-cocks F6 therein, one of which is opened as the otheris closed and both of which communicate with the pipes F. For the purpose of operating these several valves in their relative relation and position to each other levers F7are extended upward therefrom, connected to'a reversing-bar F8.

The general operation of the engine will be apparent from theforegoing description, and by reference to Fig. l and the position of the stop-cocks in the feeding and exhausting connections, as shown by dotted lines, it will be seen that the steam entering the pipe F3 passes through the cock F6 and pipe F into the left cam E, and if a piston be in contact with this cam a portion of the steam will pass around the by-pass A12 to act on the piston in advance. In the rotation ofthe piston through the cylinder the exhaust begins at the by-pass A12 and continues as the piston passes over the right cam, from whence it passes through the pipe F, cock F to the exhaust-pipe F2. It will be at once seen that by shifting the reversing-gear the exhaust connection at the left will be opened and the exhaust connection at the right closed, while the steam connections are respectively closed and opened to operate the engine in the opposite direction. The form of sectional cam herein shown p permits the ready substitution of a new block when repairs are necessary and the reversal of the blocks when the engine has been run- -ning continuously in one direction for an extended period of time. As is well known in this art, the wear upon these cam-blocks is Very uneven and increases at the point of initial contact with the piston, so that it is highly important for the economical operation of the engine that these cams should be readily removable and interchangeable. The particular construction of piston used permits the formation thereof in two similar sections, so that they can be readily reversed to equalize the wear, and alllnecessityfor end packings lthereon is obviated, so that Ythe projection of the end of the piston to form a steam-tight contact with the heads is edected by a single spring.

It is obvious that changes may be made in the details of construction and configuration of the engine without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having described my invention and set forth its merits, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In arotary engine, acylinder and pistonholder, a piston therein, an abutment atv the upper portion ofsaid cylinder, apertured camblocks at opposite sides of said abutment, and ahy-pass extending from the aperture in said cam around the end thereof substantially as specified.

2. In a rotary engine, a cylinder and pistonholder, a piston therein, an abutment at the upper portion of said cylinder, cam-blocks at opposite sides of said abutment having apertures therethrough, by passes extending from said apertures around the lower ends of said cam-blocks, conducting-pipes communicating with each of said cams, a steam-pipe communicating with said conducting-pipes and provided with cocks which are alternately opened and closed, and an exhaust-pipe communicating with said conducting-pipes and provided with Valves which are alternately opened and closed, substantially as specified.

3. In a-rotary engine, a cylinder and pistonholder, a piston therein, an abutment at the upper portion of said cylinder, cam-blocks at opposite sides of said abutment having apertures therethrough, conducting-pipes communicating with each of said cams, a steampipe communicating` with said conductingpi pes and provided with cocks which are alternately opened and closed, an exhaust-pipe communicating with said conducting-pipes and provided with valves which are alternately opened and closed, levers extending from said cocks, a reversing-bar connecting said levers, and L-shaped packings disposed within an annular recess on the opposite ends of said piston-holder to bear against the piston-heads, substantially as specified.

4. A piston for a rotary engine,'comprising opposite sections `each having at one end a thickened portion provided with a recess and at the opposite end a tongue to iit the recess in the corresponding section and provided with a spring-recess between its ends, and a coiled spring of s'uiiicient diameter to extend within the recess of each section, substantially as speciiied.

5. In a rotary engine, a casing having at opposite sides a seat, apertured cam-blocks adapted to rest at their lower ends upon said seats and having their upper ends'secured to said casing, a by-pass extending from the aperture in said block around said seat, a cylindrical piston-holder, and pistons carried by IOO said holder and normally projected therefrom under spring tension, substantially as specified.

6. In a rotary engine, a casing `having at opposite sides a seat, apertured cam-blocks adapted to rest at their lower ends upon said l seats and having their upper ends secured to said casing, a by-pass extending from the aperture in said block around said seat,- a cylindrical piston-holder, pistons carried by said holder and normally projected therefrom under spring tension, an abutment between upper ends of said cam-blocks and comprising longitudinally movable sections normally projected in opposite directions to each other, substantially as specified.

`7. In a rotary engine, a casing having at opposite sides a seat, apertured cam-blocks adapted to rest at their lower ends upon said seats and having their upper ends secured to said casing, a by-pass extending from the aperture in said block around said seat, a cylindrical piston-holder, pistons carried by said holder and normally projected therefrom under spring tension, an abutment between upper ends of said cam-blocks and comprising longitudinally movable sections normally projected in opposite directions to each other, segmental L-shaped packings disposed within similar recesses provided in the ends of said piston-holder, and means for admitting mot-ive power to theaperture in one of said cams and exhausting from the opposite one, substantially as specified.`

8. In a rotary engine, a cylinder having an apertured cam portion within its upper segment, feed and exhaust connections communicating with the said cam portion, an abutment between said connections, by-pass channels extending from the apertures at the opposite ends of the cam portion and around the ends thereof, a piston-holder provided with a transverse slot, a piston comprising separate members located within said slot, a spring between said members for projecting the ends thereof beyond said slot, and a spring beneath extending between the base of said slot and piston, substantially as specied.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK G. GROVE. Witnesses:

L. R. OGDEN, L. T.ABERRY. 

